Power tool systems, such as garden machines, typically include a motor or an engine powered by electricity or fossil fuels. The power tool systems that use fossil fuels typically have a combustion engine that can generate undesirable smells, emissions, noise, and/or vibration. Some power tool systems have the combustion engine designed to be mountable on the back of a user to increase convenience, but the weight of the combustion engine of such power tool systems make the user tire easily over time. Electrical power tool systems have sustainable benefits over power tool systems using fossil fuels by not having to use a combustion engine. For example, power tool systems powered by portable batteries have the advantages of reduced or eliminated smell, noise, and emissions, reduced weight and size, no risk of mixing or spilling fuel, and/or increased safety.
In a battery-powered power tool system, the power supplied to the motor or engine depends on the voltage of the battery. If the voltage of the battery is low, the power supplied to the power tool system may not be enough to operate the power tool, or may result in limited amount of operation time. Increasing the voltage of the battery may increase the power supplied to the motor or the engine, and thus may increase the efficiency and performance of the power tool system. But a trade-off for increased power is increased weight. For example, a target high voltage may be achieved by increasing the number of battery cells connected in sequence. Increasing the number of battery cells may increase the overall weight and size of the battery and/or the power tool system, which may increase inconvenience, fatigue, and amount of work for the user to operate the power tool system, particularly over long periods of time. The increased weight and size of the battery and/or the power tool system may also reduce the flexibility for operating the power tool system, and may render the power tool system not suitable for use over long periods of time.
Additionally, conventional battery-powered tool systems have one or more disadvantages that may affect the applications of these systems. In some situations, the battery of such battery-powered tool system cannot be replaced. In other situations, the battery forms part of the system and cannot be modified to add or reduce battery cells, or the battery is specially made for a particular type of power tools and cannot be used for other power tools. These advantages may limit the life of the system, affect the flexibility and convenience for operating the power tool, and limit the application of the system to particular applications, e.g., one or limited number of specific power tools.
The disclosed power tool systems and methods for using these power tool systems are directed to overcoming one or more of the problems or disadvantages set forth above and/or other problems of existing power tool systems.